New mom Hilary Duff on losing weight after Luca and keeping the love alive

Whitney English is a reporter and host in Los Angeles with over six years of experience working for outlets like E! Entertainment, MSN TV, SheKnows.com, and many more. She has a passion for health and fitness and documents her journey of...

Hilary’s growing family

Between caring for her new baby Luca, cooking for hubby Mike Comrie and maintaining a vigorous exercise program, actress Hilary Duff still makes time to help charities like Johnson’s Baby CARES. Find out what the new mom told us about this wonderful program and her new role as a parent, in SheKnows Girl Crush of the Month.

Hilary Duff

Between caring for her new baby Luca, cooking for hubby Mike Comrie, and maintaining a vigorous exercise program, actress Hilary Duff still makes time to help charities like Johnson’s Baby CARES.

Hilary’s growing family

Find out what the new mom told us about this wonderful program and her new role as a parent, in SheKnows Girl Crush of the Month.

After years of charming audiences as Lizzy McGuire on the Disney Channel and starring in youthful films like A Cinderella Story, the 24-year-old Duff has officially shed her teenybopper persona and entered womanhood.

Duff and hockey player Mike Comrie tied the knot in 2010 and welcomed their first child together in March, son Luca Cruz.

Family life

On the day we caught up with Duff, she was just getting used to being away from her little one and trying to adjust to missing her new baby.

"This is my first day out away from Luca for this amount of time," Duff laments.

She told us that it’s been a nice break being out of the spotlight, and she has really gotten used to being a homebody.

"I’ve been going, going, going since I was 10 years old," says Duff. "So it’s a little bit of a change. But I got used to being at home and I’m just enjoying it. I’m doing more domestic things around the house since I’m not throwing myself back into work."

One of her new housewife duties include serving as the family chef.

"I am the main cook," Duff tells us. "Mike is not that great in the kitchen and I think he established that when he messed up a box of macaroni and cheese once. I’m still convinced he did that on purpose so I don’t ask him any more."

Post-baby body

When she’s not taking care of her two main men, Hilary likes to work out.

"I try to get an hour at the gym or I’ll go on walks and take Luca for walks," she told us. "I do a bit of spinning or Pilates."

Despite her rigorous exercise schedule (she also trains with celebrity fitness guru Harley Pasternak), Duff has still caught flack from critics for not losing the baby weight fast enough.

"People think you should look the same as before you had the baby instantly," says Duff. "It is a bit of a challenge."

Date night

Well, we think she looks fabulous! And luckily, she brushes off the criticism, focusing on the important things in life.

Duff says she and Comrie aren’t falling into the classic trap that many couples struggle with after a baby: forgetting to make romance a priority.

"We make an effort to have a date night once a week," says Duff. "I think it makes you a better mom to leave for an hour a day to have that with your husband and go out and have a glass of wine."

Comrie makes an effort to keep things fresh as well, Hilary says.

"Mike is really good at surprising me with vacations, so I’m a very lucky girl," she says. "We just went to a Coldplay concert, which was a lot of fun. We try to do fun things and not just go out to dinner every night."

Future projects

Though she doesn’t have a timetable for her next project, Duff says she's getting back into music and will eventually release a new album.

"Toward the end of my pregnancy, I started working on a record and getting back into the studio. There is no pressure with when I will release an album, but I’m excited about that. I want to work again. I think I need that balance in my life."

Giving back

And even with all this, Duff is still dedicated to helping other moms. As an ambassador for Johnson’s Baby CARES, she helped package hundreds of care kits to send to families during times of need.

"It helps so many moms," says Duff. "I’m a new mom and I’m putting myself in their situation in a time of need or disaster, and I would want this help. I’m happy to be a part of this."